Tumia

School

"Who can tell me what this means?" Dr. Evans asked the class, pointing to a word in Infant on the board.

As usual, Jax raised his hand first. Not many of us interacted during these lessons; it was mainly Jax and Dr. Evans speaking.

"Someone besides Jax," she said, scanning the room.

Averting my head, I began scribbling in my textbook. It had been officially one week since we landed, and my life had become quite repetitive.

I never saw Vorian again, even when I climbed the tree. I wondered if I had scared him off.

"Thalia, can you answer this?"

Snapping out of my thoughts, I looked at the board, reading the letters. My mind was blank, and I had no idea what the word said or meant.

"I don't know, Professor," I shyly admitted.

"Doctor, I think we're all tired and ready to go home," Michelle said, packing her bag and standing up from her chair.

"I guess you're right... class is dismissed, but please make sure you guys practice," Dr. Evans conceded.

We all nodded and began gathering our things. Honestly, nobody was going to study besides Jax. Learning Infant was a chore to everyone else, and we didn't take it seriously.

But I wanted to understand the language more and gain more information about their history. I started packing my stuff a little slower today. Once everyone left, I rushed to Dr. Evans' desk with a bright smile.

"Doctor, do you happen to have after-school hours available? I want to practice my Infant more," I asked.

She looked completely shocked as she scanned my face to see if I was serious. "This is new, Thalia. I'd love to help," she said, gathering her books.

I followed her out of the classroom as we walked to her office. I had never noticed how small this school was. Everything was on one level, and half of it was broken, with the back entrance barely having a door anymore. I wondered what had happened and how this place was built.

Dr. Evans walked into her office and took a seat behind her desk. I closed the door behind us and sat in front of her, pulling out my textbooks.

"So, where do you want to start?" she asked, looking excited to teach a student.

Flipping through my study book, I stopped on page six, where we were learning different phrases to use in conversation. I wanted to start with the basics, as I already knew how to greet and introduce myself.

"Here," I said, handing her the book.

Dr. Evans smiled at me and began breaking down the sentences. Infant was a unique language for many reasons. In English, we use verbs, nouns, and adjectives, but with their grammar, none of that mattered.

I remembered the first lesson Dr. Evans gave us on the alphabet. It consisted of only eleven letters. The entire class had complained for hours, as it wasn't natural for an alphabet to be so short, but the Kratens made it work.

"Thalia, remember what I taught you about the Infant alphabet and the context of nouns. The important thing to know when translating is there aren't many extra words you need to worry about, like in English," she began.

I nodded, practicing. We spent two hours working on my pronunciation.

"I don't think it's working," I stressed, banging my head on the table.

Dr. Evans laughed hysterically at my dramatics. "It took me seven years to perfect it, and I'm still not that good," she said, which only made my head ache more.

"How about we stop for today? Are you hungry?" she asked, opening her mini fridge and pulling out a few snacks.

I stood up from my chair and walked around her classroom. Everything in there was catered towards Infant, and I could tell she took pride in her studies.

"Here, I've made some ramen," she said, handing me a cup with a cheesy grin.

I smiled, grateful for what was probably the most edible food I'd had all week. As I slurped the noodles, we engaged in a light conversation about her studies and time here.

Dr. Evans was an incredible woman, and I couldn't believe how much she had accomplished. Suddenly, there was a low knock at the door, and a few military soldiers walked in.

"The corporal needs you at the lab... now," they said seriously, eyeing both me and Dr. Evans.

"Alright. Well, Thalia, that wraps up our lesson," she said with a smile as she left with the men.

I watched them from the window as they climbed into the car and drove away. It was odd the way they had spoken and entered the room. Gathering my things, I headed out the door to catch the next truck back to my room.